Chapter 173: Wangjiang Tower

The group from the Evil Extermination Bureau and the delegation from the State Mansion headed out of Jingzhou City. The procession was quite large, quickly causing a stir within the city.

"The Evil Extermination Bureau is going to the Jingshui River to kill the Water Ghosts!"

"How many Evil Exterminator Guards are they sending into the water?"

"Seems like just one. A newcomer who only recently broke through to the Innate Realm."

"Hmph, they’re sending one man to his death just to appease the public. That poor Evil Exterminator Guard, being sacrificed by the Bureau like this."

"I heard he volunteered for it, that it wasn’t the Evil Extermination Bureau’s idea."

News of the matter spread rapidly through Jingzhou City, sparking all sorts of rumors.

Some fishermen who had come into the city followed behind the group from the Evil Extermination Bureau and the State Mansion, wanting to see the outcome.

Other busybodies also tagged along, hoping to watch the spectacle.

For a time, the crowd swelled, growing larger and larger as it moved toward the city gates.

---

Wangjiang Tower, the largest restaurant in Jingzhou City, stood nine stories tall.

The ninth floor offered the best view. Leaning against the railing, one could gaze out at the vast Jingshui River, its surging waves stretching for miles.

To the east, one could watch the river; to the west, one could overlook the entirety of Jingzhou City.

However, no amount of money could buy one access to the ninth floor.

At this moment, inside the Star-Picking Pavilion on the ninth floor, the air was filled with the sounds of decadent music and a warm, cloying fragrance.

A handsome, rakish young man was lounging on a wide, cloud-patterned couch. He wore a black brocade robe with subtle gold-thread embroidery, its collar wide open to reveal a sturdy chest. His expression was one of pleasant intoxication.

He was flanked by peerless beauties dressed in sheer silks, their graceful figures tantalizingly visible. Both were nestled obediently at his side.

The woman on his left, dressed in a jade-green silk skirt, was delicately peeling a translucent Ice Jade Grape with her slender fingers. After carefully removing the seeds, she brought it to the young man’s lips.

The woman on his right was even bolder, her body nearly melting into his embrace. Holding a Warm Jade Wine Cup, she first took a sip herself. Then, with a seductive gaze, she leaned close to the young man’s lips and passed the wine to him with a gentle touch of her tongue.

Just then, a noisy clamor rose from below Wangjiang Tower.

The young man frowned in displeasure. "Old Han," he said, "go see what all that noise is about."

"Yes, Young Master."

A middle-aged man in green robes standing at the door bowed slightly and quickly departed.

A short while later, the middle-aged man returned. "Young Master, I’ve found out..."

The middle-aged man’s gaze swept over the two women, and he paused.

The young man raised an eyebrow, then gave each of the beauties a firm squeeze, eliciting startled cries from both. He laughed heartily. "You two may leave for now. Wait for me in the next room."

The two women left, though they were reluctant to go.

"Speak. What’s going on?" the young man asked casually.

The middle-aged man said, "The Lord Governor put pressure on them, so the Evil Extermination Bureau has left the city. That Evil Exterminator Guard named Lu Bai is going into the water to take a look."

"Lu Bai?"

The young man seemed to recall something. "The new one? The one with the Exotic Beast Chongming Bird?" he asked.

"That’s him."

The middle-aged man nodded, touching a wound on his forehead.

The sharp pain from the wound brought a dark look to his eyes.

Normally, a superficial wound like this would have already scabbed over.

But this injury, inflicted by that Exotic Beast Chongming Bird, was healing with extreme slowness!

"Interesting," the young man said, suddenly breaking into a smile.

The middle-aged man asked, "Young Master, should we set up an ambush underwater and take the opportunity to finish him off?"

"There’s no need."

The young man shook his head and chuckled. "The Water Ghosts in that Jingshui River are incredibly fierce. If you go set an ambush, can you be sure you won’t run into one yourself?"

"If he makes it out of the Jingshui River alive, it’ll be because he’s got a ton of luck!"

The young man straightened his collar, stood up, and walked to the window. From this angle, he could see the large crowd heading out of the city.

Just a short distance outside the city lay the vast expanse of the Jingshui River.

"Interesting."

A smirk played on the young man’s lips. "Once he’s dead, I’ll just take that Exotic Beast for myself. It’ll save me a lot of trouble."

「Meanwhile, on the sixth floor of Wangjiang Tower.」

Inside a private room.

The disciples of Danding Temple were gathered here.

They had come to Wangjiang Tower for more than just a meal.

While investigating the cause of Xue Chen’s death, the group from Danding Temple had been asking around with his portrait and found some clues.

Someone had seen Xue Chen near the Jingshui River several times, and he had also visited Wangjiang Tower afterward.

But when the disciples made inquiries at Wangjiang Tower, no one claimed to have seen Xue Chen.

The trail went cold there.

One disciple asked, "Observatory Master, could Senior Brother Xue have just come to Wangjiang Tower for a meal?"

"Perhaps Senior Brother Xue returned to the Shi Country," said another.

"Even if he did, he should have let us know. After all these years of fellowship as sect-brothers..."

"No, he wouldn’t. Master would never leave without saying a word."

Li Yue’er quickly interjected, "Master told me that he owes everything he has today to the Sect for taking him in. His loyalty to the Sect is deeper than anyone’s."

True Master Dan Ding frowned, remaining silent.

’I need to see the man if he’s alive, or his body if he’s dead.’ For a Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator to vanish just like that was simply inconceivable.

Just then, waves of noise drifted up from the floors below.

The members of Danding Temple focused their attention and listened for a moment, their faces showing surprise.

"Making such a huge scene, only to send a single Evil Exterminator Guard into the river?"

"Observatory Master, could Senior Brother Xue have been killed by the Water Ghosts?" one disciple suddenly asked.

A thought struck True Master Dan Ding.

That was indeed a possibility.

If Xue Chen had truly fallen into the Jingshui River and been entangled by Water Ghosts, his chances of survival would have been slim.

Whether for a Martial Artist or a Cultivator, many magical techniques and abilities would be suppressed in the water.

Meanwhile, a Water Ghost’s power would be greatly enhanced in the river. With one side weakened and the other strengthened, even he wouldn’t dare enter the water if a Fierce Ghost was present in the Jingshui River.

True Master Dan Ding walked to the window and glanced outside.

A dense, dark sea of people was surging below.

True Master Dan Ding’s gaze immediately fell upon one person at the very front.

The man was dressed in the uniform of an Evil Exterminator Guard. He was tall and powerfully built, standing a full head taller than those around him. With a confident, powerful stride, he stood out from the crowd like a crane among chickens.

"Hm?" True Master Dan Ding muttered softly.

’That man’s back... it looks a bit like the Chicken Taming Strange Man I saw that night.’

The night had been dim, so he hadn’t gotten a clear look at the man’s face.

But their builds were quite similar.

True Master Dan Ding said in a low voice, "Let’s go. We’ll take a look over at the Jingshui River."

Everyone rose to their feet and headed downstairs.

Downstairs, outside Wangjiang Tower, a man with disheveled hair, covered in filth and reeking of a foul stench, had just finished filling two buckets of swill. He set down the greasy, dirt-caked pole from his shoulder and squatted to one side, panting slightly as if to catch his breath.

A moment later, the group from Danding Temple emerged from Wangjiang Tower.

Seeing them, the disheveled man quickly shouldered his two buckets of swill and headed toward them, walking with a limp.

Previously, while squatting in the corner, he had gone unnoticed.

But as he walked out now, nearby pedestrians caught a whiff of the horrid stench, covering their noses and stepping aside with looks of utter disgust.

Before the disheveled man could get close, a Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator from Danding Temple seemed to sense something. A look of revulsion on his face, he formed a hand seal for a Technique and lightly waved his sleeve.

A fierce gust of wind swept past, dispersing the foul odor.

The blast knocked the disheveled man off balance, and he fell directly to the ground. Most of the swill from the two buckets spilled out, splashing all over him and leaving him in an even more wretched state.

The disheveled man scrambled to his feet. He looked toward the Danding Temple group and was about to speak, but they had already moved far away.

"Damn it, Lame Wang, what the hell are you doing? I ask you to haul some swill, and you make a mess like this!"

"Clean this up and get the hell out of here! Don’t you dare affect the restaurant’s business!"

Several waiters rushed out of Wangjiang Tower, cursing and swearing.

"I’m sorry, I’m sorry," Lame Wang muttered, keeping his head bowed as he apologized repeatedly.